Envelop



L. R. JONES. ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 811920.

1,384,837. l atented July 19, 1921.

INVENTOR LEMUEL R. Jones,

' BY fin ATTORNEY the envelop flap PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL R. JONES, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ENVELOIP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J ul y 19, 1921,

Application filed March 8, 1920. Serial No. 364,167.

b all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LnMUEL R. J onus, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Los,

Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Envelope, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an envelop and particularly pertains to aclosure therefor.

It is the object of this invention to provide an envelop closureembodying a flap and means for detachably fastening the flap in a closedposition in which the use of metallic eyelets, clips and the like aredispensed with and which obviates the use of strings and similarfastenings.

Another object is to provide a flap fastener for envelope and the likewhich may be formed wholly of paper or materialof like nature, and whichfastener is so constructed as to afford a substantial engagement withthe flap to securely hold the latter in a closed position without dangerofbeing accidentally disengaged yet which maybe easily and quicklydisposed-in and out of its fastening position.

Another object is to provide a. flap fastener of the above characterwhich may be economically manufactured and readily applied to an envelopor the like.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying'drawings in which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of an envelop and flap showing thefastener as applied and in its unfastened position with open;

Fig. 2 is a slmilar view showing the envelop flap closed and secured bythe fastener; v

.Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective illustrating the initial stepemployed in fastening the flap;

Fig. 1 is a detail in erspective showing the manner of connecting thefastener to the flap and disengaging it therefrom More specifically 5indicates the body of an envelop and 6 denotes the flap portion thereof.In carrying out the preferred embodiment of my invention the flap isprovided with a slot 7 which is preferably formed in a reinforcing strip8 of fiber board or other suitable material, which strip is here shownas bent around the edge of the fla to extend over the opposite facesthereof and secured in place by a su1tab1e adhesive The reinforcingstrip may however extend over one side only of the flap andwherethematerial of which the flap is formed is of sufficient strength thereinforcing'strip may be dispensed with. v

Mounted on the envelop body is a tongue 9 adapted to project through theslot 7 in the flap when the latter is in its closed position and whichtongue is formed at its outer end with oppositely extending ears 10 andll'having a combined length greater than that of the slot so that whenthe end of the tongue is inserted through the slot the ears will projectlaterally beyond the ends of the slot to effect a buttoning engagementtherewith. i

As a means for providing a construction whereby the tongue may bereadily contracted to permit the insertion of its outer end through theslot and its removal therefrom, the tongue is formed with a longitudinalslit 12 the outer end of which flares outwardly and opens at the end ofthe tongue and the inner end of, which terminates in spaced relation tothe inner end of the tongue, this slit dividing the tongue into twomembers 141 and 15 adapted to be overlapped at their outer ends. Thetongue is preferably formed by being struck from a blank 16 of fiberboard or similar material which blank is secured to the envelop by asuitable adhesive, but in some instances the tongue may be struck fromthe material of which the envelop is formed. for facilitating bending ofthetongue relative to its blank the point of juncture of the tongue andblank is formed with a straight transverse score 17 and in order tofacilitate overlapping the outer ends of the tongue portions 14 and 15diagonal scores 18 and 19 are formed in the base portion of the tongueand extend diagonallv from the base of the slit 12 to the ends ofthescore 17. A- triangular body 20 is thus formed in the space boundedby the scores which constitutes the As a means i inner portion of thetongue and is hinged to the blank and on the diagonal edges of which thetwo tongue members 14' and 15 are hinged. f

As a means for facilitating themanipulation of the tongue in engaging itwiththe flap and disengaging it therefrom the outer edges of the tonguemembers are bowed outwardly adjacent the inner end of the tongue asindicated at 21 to provide a body WlllCll may be readily grasped betweenthe thumb terial and formed either integral with the envelop or wrapperor attached thereto, andform theltongue 011 the flap and the slot in[the body. Other modifications maybe re} and fingers and whereby theouter portions of the tongues may be overlapped, as will presently bedescribed. The outer side portions of the tongue members are curvedinwardly and are rounded into juncture with the ears 10 and 11 formingoppositely opening notches 22 and 23 adapted to interlock with the endsof the slot in the flap; the combined widths of the tongue membersbetween the notches be. g slightly less than the len th of the slot.

ormally the tongue members extend flat and flush with the blank fromwhich they are struck. When it is desired to fasten the flap in itsclosed position the tongue is raised and the flap turned down toposition it beneath the tongue as shown in Fig. 3. One of the tonguemembers is then advanced a trifle forward of the other. The sides of thetongue members ar then gripped be tween the thumb and forefinger andpinchedin such manner as to cause the outer end portions ofthe tonguemembers to overlap each other thus contracting the span of the earssothat the outer end of the tongue may be inserted through the slot fromthe upper side of the flap as shown in F ig. 4:.

On. releasing the tongue and pressing down on the base portion thereofit will be caused toreassume its fiat position with the earsprojectingbeyond the ends of the slot-as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2. The flap will then be securely engaged by the fastener and soheld by th latter as not to be liable to be accidentally disengagedtherefrom; the fastener not being freely detached by reason of thetongue members lying flush with their adjacent edges abutting. When itis desired to detach the fastener it is necessary to dispose the tonguememlivers out of alinement and pinch them into such over-' lappingposition that the ears may be with drawn from the slot.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simplefastener for en velops, wrappers and thelike which may be struck from abl ankof paper or similar ma-v that a substantial fastening is producedwith out employing metallic parts or strings.

While I have shownv and described the tongue as formed onthe envelopbody and the slotas formed in the flap, I may in some instances reversethis arrangement and sortedto in adapting the fastener fornse inenvelops or wrappers of various kinds wlthoutdepartmg from the inventionas ture of the. tongue and blank, diagonal scores extending from theends of said straight score and intersecting on the longitudinal centerof said tongue, said tongue formed with a slit extending from theintersection of the diagonal scores, and opening at the end of thetongue and dividing the outer portion of the latter into two membersadapted to overlap ach other, a member having a slot adapted to receivethe outer portions of said tongue members, and means on the ends of sandtongue members adapted to be en gaged by the ends of said slot toconnect I said member to said tongue. I Y

2. In a fastenerfor envelops and the like, a blank, a tongue struck fromsaid blank, a straight score extending along the juncture of the tongueand blank, diagonal scores extending from the ends of said straightscore and intersecting on the longitudinal center:

of said'tongue, said tongue formed with a slit extending from theintersection ofthe diagonal scores and opening at the endof the tongueand dividing the outer portion of the latter into two members adaptedtojoverlap each other, a member having a slot adapted to receive the outerportions of said tongue members, and oppositelyprojecting ears on theends of said tongue members adapted to be engaged by theends ofsa'idslot to connect said member to said tongue.

3, In an envelop fastener, a triangular body mounted a swing along oneof its edges, a pair of tongue members each mount ed to swing on one ofthe other edges of said triangular body and connected'thereto along afold line, an ear on each of. said tongue members, the ear on onetonguememb er'extending in a direction opposite to the ear on the othertongue member, said 'tonguef members being adapted on swinging thetriangular body outwardly v to be swung inwvardly' relative to" thetriangular'body to lessen the .span of the ear members, the outer edgesof said .tongue'members being bowed outwardly from their intersectionwith the triangular body, and am'ember having a slot through which*the'ears and.

end portions of the tongue may be passed and the tongues thereafterspread to'engag'e the ears of said member.

. LEMUEL R. JONES.

